A Boy and His Dog
by Yamato's Tiger Lily
Summary: Due to a fairy who wanted a dog, Katsuya had made a deal with her. If he could find love or at least acceptance from his toughasnails owner, Seto Kaiba, then he can stay on earth. But if not, he’ll have to live with her. I suck at summaries. AU SetoxJou a
1. Chapter I: Modern Fairy?

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **Hello :D This is my first Yu Gi Oh story as you can all see. I hope I don't butcher them too much. I haven't seen much of the anime at all (just like the first few episodes, and a majority of the movie xD;) so why NOT make it an AU? But I do have a basic idea of who's who and the fact that I KNOW I like Puppyshipping! Anyway, like I said, I hope I don't butcher them too badly. And I know I'm supposed to be working on my other stories, but alas – writer's block has struck again! And plus I've been itching to write this down. Anyway, I don't own Yu Gi Oh. If I did, it would be a lot less confusing and more Puppyshipping. :3 And yes. I know I gave it a lame ass and corny title. XD;

**A Boy And His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter One

**Modern Fairy?**

It was just an ordinary summer's day at the Kaiba mansion. Seto was in his office (with his beige business suit still on, of course) in the lonely mansion, buried in his work while Mokuba played with his Golden Retriever in the park. Ah yes, that Golden Retriever his younger sibling wanted so badly when he was a few years or so younger. That dog would make Seto so angry that he'd want to just throw the damn thing out. It would always bark at nothing, and it would bring in unwanted guests such as bugs and ticks and mud. But he didn't. Mokuba loved that Golden Retriever, and not wanting to make his brother depressed, he didn't throw the mutt out. But yet...he had a fondness for the shaggy creature. Whenever his brother was at a friend's house, the dog would often go to Seto's room to lie next to him. Of course, not willing to admit it, he let the dog sleep with him – so he can soothe a bit of the loneliness he had. Seto didn't really care for naming the dog anything but "mutt" or "puppy" even though the dog was a few years old and he was a pure bred (he made sure), but his brother called the dog Katsuya. He wasn't sure why, and he probably could honestly care less, but the name seemed to suit him.

The brunet sighed as he leaned back in his chair and put his hands through his hair in frustration and a bit of drowsiness. He had worked from dawn, to dusk and beyond. It was a pity that he hired such mediocre workers. **Good **help, by Seto's standards, were extremely hard to find. He then started to rub his temples and sighed. If only some magical fairy came in and magically did all this work for him. ... Not that he believed in fairy tales, mind you. He glanced at his work again, double checking it before he faxed it. It was then he heard the door knock frantically. Seto sighed again, a bit more frustrated and exasperated, and walked to the door – that RUDELY interrupted him! The door was finely carved, and of course made from the finest wood, and the door knob looked so golden-like, it might as **well** be gold.

Thinking it was one of his workers, probably asking for the night off, he closed his eyes in anger and yelled "You're NOT leaving until every speck of dust is gone!"

However, his assumptions were wrong ... Not in Seto's world of course. He looked down, for the boy hadn't started his growth spurt yet, to see the raven messy black hair turning down. He saw that his hands were holding something but he wasn't quite sure what it was. He heard quiet and suppressed sobs as he bent down to look at the boy's eyes. And alas, it was filled with tears and it streaked down his pale face. "Mokuba, what's wrong?" using that caring voice only for his brother. Apparently he didn't notice the broken collar (which was diamond studded) and a leash attached to it. The boy brought his arms to Seto's eyesight and started to sob a little harder. He had a little trouble speaking, but Seto got the general idea.

"K-Katsuya r-ran away..." he said as he sobbed harder.

Seto sighed. He knew that the dog wouldn't want to be cooped up in the big mansion. But he also knew how much the damn mutt meant to his brother. Trying to be comforting, he wrapped his long arms around the smaller boy and pulled him close. Of course, he had a mental party. He was glad that the dumb mutt wasn't there! No more walking him out at night! Not having to pay extra whenever they had to leave for a trip! No more grooming! He was scared shitless of the grooming lady as it was. And he knew he wasn't the only one. ... Will he ever admit such a thing though? The only reason why he kept her around was to groom Mokuba's precious dog. But now that he's gone, he could fire that lady so fast, it'll make her head spin! However, his inner victory parade was rained on when Mokuba said that, this time, he would do everything he can to find his dog. Seto sighed again for the fourth time. Damn. He was so close to getting rid of the dog. SO close! However, his brother was his only source of happiness for the moment and if Mokuba wasn't happy, no one was.

So he basically had no choice but to find the mutt. Damn it all.

**oooo**

The golden retriever wasn't sure why, but he had to bite through his diamond studded collar. Thankfully, his owner bought a cheap and poor excuse for a collar band, so chewing through it was no chore. Of course, the running part was. He knew Mokuba was a fast runner. But of course, Katsuya, being very competitive, tried to run faster then him – for being the playful creature he is. Part of him didn't want to leave the young boy. Katsuya grew to love him, and unfortunately Seto, from the moment they adopted him from his family. Of course his mother was sad to see him go, but she knew that the humans didn't want to keep all of the puppies anyway – and to make a quick buck. Katsuya will probably never understand the relevance in money.

Katsuya saw his chance when Mokuba had turned to get some ice cream, and started to chew through his collar. It didn't even take a couple minutes, the band was so cheap. As it fell to the ground, he wagged his furry golden tail and ran off, towards the street. His sensitive, yet droopy ears, heard a whistle. Maybe it was one of those damn dog whistles kidnappers tend to use to get to Mokuba. Thing is, he would know if it was a kidnapper. They were usually fat and ugly and they had a lanky skinny guy. Of course, they were probably the stupidest of the bunch as they usually were in those cartoons Mokuba watched in his room with Katsuya trying to take a nap. But this strange noise, he didn't know what it was that made him go to the source. It wasn't any different, yet somehow it was.

Of course he wasn't almost out of the park until he heard Mokuba yell his name. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a voice saying that he should go back and ignore the sound. But the damn sound was practically calling him! And as he got closer, there seemed to be an aroma of some sort. He stopped for a bit, and stuck his nose in the air. He took a few deep sniffs before he lowered his head to sniff the grass for the smell. Of course, it was silly to do such a thing, but it was in the dog's instincts. He wagged his tail, letting himself (and the world) know that he had found it again. He panted, due to the heat, and started to run towards it again.

Apparently, this was some mystical part of the park, because he didn't remember any of these weirdly shaped trees. He remembered Mokuba watching some anime about a girl, and her stupid parents, getting themselves into trouble as they were trying to find their new home. He hoped it wasn't that situation. Although he wouldn't mind seeing Seto turn into a pig, even though he unconditionally loved him. If dogs could laughed, Katsuya would've, but of course. Dogs don't, so he just inwardly laughed at the mere thought.

It felt forever, and his paws were extremely sore from all the walking he had done. Whatever this wonderful smell, and annoying sound, it had BETTER be good. Thankfully his questions were answered when he saw a girl, with a long sleeved shirt (that had red and green on the sleeves, or gray and dark gray in doggie vision), with jeans, and Converse shoes. Her hair was wavy and brown, but dark gray (not as dark as her sleeves though) and she was sitting on a bench. Her arm was stretched over like she was waiting for someone to next to her. Her legs were crossed, her other hand was on her lap, and her head was in the opposite direction. Her eyes were slightly closed, they looked bored. And in between her light pink (or extremely light gray) was the source of the sound. Katsuya walked slowly, not wanting to scare her or even provoke her.

However, she turned over to his direction and he froze. She, apparently, took out the dog whistle using her rested arm and placed it on her lap. She smiled and motioned the dog to come to her. Katsuya walked to her, more slow then what pace he was walking. She opened her mouth to speak and it shocked him that she had a high pitched voice.

"Come here, Katsuya." she said, apparently trying too hard to act mysterious. Getting the vibe that she was (thankfully) harmless, his pace started to quicken. She smiled wider and greeted the dog with open arms. Before he was about 5 meters or so from the bench, she practically tackled him into a hug. Perhaps this was a glomp?

"How cute, a golden retriever!" she said as she started to pet the dog. The dog was bewildered. Wait, what happened to the quiet girl? Surely she didn't look a day older then 14 or 13 – about Mokuba's age. He noticed how other girls acted that were his age. Maybe this girl was that of another species – but closely related to human.

He wagged his tail since he liked being patted, and was glad that the girl didn't try to hit him or harm him in any fashion. Soon the girl let go of him and bent one knee and she was about a few inches away from the tip of his whiskers (which tickled a little bit) and started to talk to him again, but this time it's in a whisper.

"Don't tell anybody but..." as she glanced on either side then look back into the dog's brown confused eyes. "I'm a fairy." she said with a cheeky grin. Well. That explained the previous theory. But then he started to wonder, why was she telling him?

"The reason why I'm telling you is because well. I wanted to get a dog of my own!" she said, as if she read his thoughts.

Wait, this fairy thing was NOT reading his thoughts! ...Right? The fairies he saw on the television were beautiful, and hand a wand. Of course this girl wasn't that pretty. She had a cute face, but nothing to be too thrilled about. She looked pretty average even though her face was extremely clean. He kept wagging his tail, as if he understood the girl.

"Hehe, yes I CAN read your thoughts, silly." she laughed, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. The dog blinked.

"Well, of course I'm going to save your dignity." she huffed, obviously disappointed. Katsuya whined.

"Nah, don't be sorry!" as she patted the dog's head. The girl continued with her explanation.

"Anyway, my parents said if I did blow this," referring to the dog whistle, "a dog of mine would find his way here! And then you showed up!" as she stood up and pointed at him.

Katsuya stopped at this. No way! He could NEVER leave his owners! Even though Seto would constantly call him "mutt" and "puppy" (which he heavily resented), and even if Mokuba constantly tried to mate him with almost every female dog he came in contact with. Katsuya wasn't picky. The female dogs just weren't appealing. Plus they didn't like the fact that Katsuya's owner didn't sign him up for any dog competition – which Katsuya would win EASILY. And even though Seto was arrogant to everyone (except Mokuba), Katsuya did had his moments with the brunet. Katsuya started to whimper at the thought of leaving his comfy home. Well, he wouldn't call it comfy, but its better then being in the streets.

The girl had turned, humming a tune and dancing in a very odd fashion, but when she heard the dog whimper, she stopped.

"Aw man! I KNEW it wouldn't work! Stupid Dad." as she sat down and huffed. The dog perked up his droopy ears a bit.

"You don't want to leave your owners huh?" The dog stared at her, but she knew he said yes. She sighed again as she got up. She reached into her pocket and brought out a necklace, which look like something a surfer would wear.

"Good thing I stole it from my brother." she smiled as she got out some typical fairy dust and sprinkled it over it. The dog rolled his eyes.

"Here." she said as she put it on the retriever. The dog tilted his head in confusion.

"Don't you worry. Just wait here for a few days." she winked. "Oh yeah, the conditions." she chuckled, a bit too evilly in Katsuya's opinion. She started to rub her hands.

"One, don't tell your owners about me." The dog tilted his head to the other direction. "And two, when I go to Earth, I'm going to be your 'sister'." The dog titled his head to the previous direction.

"Oh, you'll find out soon." as she placed her hand over her mouth and started to laugh, like she was in one of those anime Mokuba watches. ... This was getting too creepy.

**oooooo**

**Author's Notes: -**gets hit with tomatoes- I know I suck. XD Lemme alone. -shot by anti Mary Sue people- Look, I won't do anything too bad. ; Just...Yanno. Typical fangirl stuff. Besides, it's inspired by Usagi Youkai's fic, "Joey's Little Red Eyes" (in which I encourage you to read it. :D) anyway. And I thought it'd be a cute idea anyway. -shrugs- Anyway I hope you don't expect me to be that consistent. ; I gotta write "Fan Letters", another fanfic of mine. Anyway, please review? No flames please. ;; Tis my first Yu Gi Oh fic and all...


	2. Chapter II: Pranks and Musings

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **Why no, I didn't forget about this fanfic! I apologize for the wait...but here it is! Chapter two! I just hope I'm still as good as you say I am. XD Anyway I don't own any characters that's not mine. For future reference, I'm not going by the Japanese school system – for I never attended it. I'm going by the American system.

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Two

**Pranks and Musings**

A couple months had gone by and there were still no signs for the damn dog. Seto had even considered getting him a new pet – for not just Mokuba but for his sanity as well. There were absolutely no leads. The detectives were very wary of working on this case to _begin _with. They thought this was silly – wasted money for a mangy _dog_ when they could be working on more important cases, such as missing kids, theft, and even murder.But this is what Mokuba wanted. And whatever the boy wanted, he got.

Seto tried his best to convince the boy that he could get another dog to replace Katsuya. Sadly enough, Mokuba refused. He refused to get a new pet! But then again, the boy had become distant from Seto anyway, which was strange in itself.

Now this was a twist on events. Usually it was Seto who's broody and anti-social, not his brother. Perhaps this dog meant to the boy more then he thought. Whatever the case may be, he didn't want to see Mokuba upset. So he did what any working and concerned brother would do.

He took a break from Kaiba Corp. Now granted, it was hard enough to get a break for his own well-being whilst working for Kaiba Corp., but since it's Mokuba perhaps he could risk getting behind in his work. Summer was about to close and he had to attend his last year of high school. And he couldn't wait until that final bell rang – until he received his diploma and leave that hell hole.

But that's beside the point.

When he had went to check on Mokuba, the boy was staring out of the window. He looked spaced out. It didn't seem he was looking at anything in particular, but Seto knew he expected the dog to appear out of nowhere and enter their lives again. Seto walked by and looked out the window. He crossed his arms and then glanced at Mokuba.

"So any sign of him yet?"

Mokuba shook his head. Seto sighed and placed a hand on the boy's head. What was Seto going to do with him until it was time for Mokuba to attend school? He couldn't leave Mokuba by himself, but then again he couldn't take him with him to school anyway. Seto was defiantly not one to make excuses. He rubbed the boy's head and took his leave. There wasn't anything else he could do as of right now. He might end up having to hire a babysitter until Mokuba started school.

**oooo**

Two weeks went by and Seto had just caught up with his work. He closed his laptop and placed it in the briefcase he took with him everywhere he went outside the mansion. (He wasn't going to trust even his closest employees if he had any with his briefcase lying around – prone to theft, vandalism or other various things)

As usual the high school students were hyped up about the coming school year in the fall. Of course Seto blocked the noise out. He didn't want to hear all his fan club members squealing that he had appeared. They should be lucky he had a contract to abide. Seto growled under his breath as he made his way to his new homeroom. He hoped to all the gods that were present that he wouldn't be stuck with the Nerd Squad again. It was torturous enough that that one girl went on and on about friendship on a constant basis. He did a quick skim of the homeroom lists before he saw his name. He knew where the homeroom was and headed towards there without having to deal with any annoying students.

Naturally he was one of the first ones to appear in the classroom. He decided to choose his seat in the front so he could easily make his random escapes when duty called. Because he had nothing better to do, he opened his briefcase and got out a book he had bought but wasn't able to read.

He didn't notice that the door creaked open and a curious brown eye scanned the room. The person had slipped inside and closed the door quietly, so he couldn't disturb the brunet that was reading.

However, Seto had good ears. He glanced over the book to see a blond, glancing over the classroom, as if he were a lost puppy. Seto smirked. This was too easy. He waited until the boy noticed him or asked him a stupid question. In the meantime, he went back to his book until he heard the boy stammer.

"U-uh is this Room 213?" the boy nervously asked.

Seto didn't miss a beat as he didn't even glance from his book. "No. It's a couple of doors down to the right." He lied. He smirked behind his book.

The boy was going to say something else, but he took off before to long. Seto chuckled. It was too easy.

**oooo**

Almost an hour had gone by and the classroom started to fill up with supposedly mature seniors. However, to Seto's dismay, he was once again stuck with the Nerd Squad. He really couldn't wait until graduation. As soon as he grabbed that diploma, he would pack his and Mokuba's bags and head to another country that's literally on the other end of the earth. He refused to interact with the Nerd Squad anymore. However, as much as he liked to plan his future, he had to try to ignore a certain voice from getting any response from him.

"Hey Kaiba!" cried a cherry voice.

Seto cringed. He didn't want to turn to who spoke to him. He knew who it was anyway. It was Yuugi Motou, the leader of the Nerd Squad. His hair stuck up all over the place and his hair was dyed in two colors (or was it one?). Seto figured that he was in a freak hair accident to make it stand up. He also had purple eyes. How could a child have purple eyes was beyond Seto. It was also due to a freak accident as well. But it wasn't like he cared. And apparently all those accidents had stunted his growth on account he didn't have any growth spurts like any normal boy.

When Kaiba didn't answer, the boy tried a different tactic.

"How was your summer?"

He still ignored him. He wasn't going to share any information with the persistent mutant. He heard the boy sigh and the receding footsteps. It was about time he gave up attempting to be friends with him. He would never be a part of that group. They were annoying. They were insufferable. However, Seto should not focus his frustration on those brats. He didn't have time for that. He had to focus his energy into his work and trying to find the damn dog.

However his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door slam again, indicating that the teacher had finally appeared. Seto closed his book, placed it in his briefcase, and closed the compartment. He placed the briefcase by his leg under the desk and placed his hands on top of the desks – letting the teacher know that he was prepared for the day, unlike the miscreants in the classroom that goofed off on a constant basis.

The teacher was stout and had a receding hairline on his scalp. He had on a suit and tie with loafers. Seto was disgusted at the look. Why would anyone be happy to teach these losers anything? His voice echoed in the room that immediately made the class quiet.

"Welcome back! I hope you all had a great summer! As you know, that this is your last year in high school." He paused as the class roared with happiness and cheering. Seto narrowed his eyes. He was happy as well, but he didn't want to be immature like these juveniles. Thankfully the noise died down after a few minutes of the teacher's shushing.

"But that doesn't mean you can slack off! This is also going to be where you start looking for a college to attend to." Seto rolled his eyes on that. He didn't have to look for a college. He could live comfortably at Kaiba Corp. for the rest of his pathetic life.

"However, before we can start in a new year, we have a new student." And that moment the same boy from earlier stepped in, only he looked rather peeved. Seto smirked at remembering his little prank on the blond boy. The teacher had announced his name as Joey Wheeler and placed him near the Nerd Squad. Great, just what Seto needed – another nerd to pester him about friendship and whatnot. He only prayed that the boy would somehow convince him that Seto had no interest in them whatsoever.

The rest of the morning classes were boring as usual and that boy was in his advance classes! Seto had underestimated him as he thought. However, he knew outright that he was not going to be the blonde's friend. As long as he interacted with the Nerd Squad, Seto Kaiba was not going to be his friend. Well, then again who said that Seto was going to be friends with anyone in the first place?

Lunch had come by and Seto headed out towards his usual spot out in the school yard. It was a lonely oak tree with fresh patches of grass surrounding it. Since it was late August, it was still warm and there was a small breeze passed through. Seto placed himself underneath the shade and sighed. He wasn't used to the rush of school and that he had to get used to it yet again. At least it would be his last year there.

He sighed and got out his briefcase. He opened it to reveal his laptop, book, pencils, and a lunch bag. He got out the lunch bag and closed his case. He didn't need to do any work since it was done earlier in the morning and at night the night before. The bag was the typical brown paper. Mokuba had made his lunch. This puzzled Seto greatly. How was Mokuba able to make his lunch when he was busy moping about the dog?

Then he smirked. He probably did it when it was too dark to see. He opened the bag to reveal a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Of course Seto wouldn't normally eat this. His butler would cook his lunch and place it by his briefcase in the morning before he even gets up. Mokuba must've chased him away in order for him to do what he did. Seto chuckled at the thought as he nibbled on it. He had to look over some documents before he could go to Kaiba Corp that afternoon.

Then he heard a pair of feet approaching him. He looked up and saw the blond from earlier that morning.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked.

The blond glared at him even more and responded with, "Shut up! It's your fault that I was late in the first place!"

Seto glared and the boy stepped back. "No, it wasn't. You asked a stupid question so I gave you a stupid answer. Now go away before I have you suspended for threatening and harassing me."

The boy glared at him again before turning and running back inside. Seto stared at him for a bit before deciding to open his laptop to check any e-mail that his insufferable employees had left him.

**oooooo**

**Author's Notes: **Wewt! Finally it's finished! I hope you still read this fanfic and you can review it. I'll try to be more consistent. The hardest part was them meeting – I had trouble finding a good way for them to meet before Joey was introduced to the majority of the characters. When I finish all my Seto and Joey fanfics here, I'm going to get them sent to my betas so they can check, and re-check it so it'll be better then it was before. In any case, please review! Thank you.


	3. Chapter III: Why We Help Friends

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **Heh another chapter so soon! I'm on a roll! In any case, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I'm going to switch from Joey to Kaiba's third person point of view from now on. It'd be more interesting that way, don't you think? ;)

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Three

**Why We Help Friends**

Stupid rich boy! All he was going to was to invite him to sit with his new friends. Well, he supposed he could call them his friends. They were nice enough to explain about that boy and on supposedly why he acted the way he did. Joey was still confused – why would want to bother someone who obviously didn't want them around? He made it to the table where they were eagerly watching him.

"So what did Kaiba say?" asked the short boy.

Joey narrowed his eyes. "He-he said he wasn't interested." Joey lied, although that wouldn't be far from the truth. However he wanted to know why these people were so bent on helping him.

"Why do you guys constantly bothering him? I say, don't trust the guy – he pulled on a trick on me this morning!" the blonde ranted. The tri-colored hair boy, known as Yuugi, shook his head.

"He's just insecure. He's not used to people being kind to him."

Joey gave him a questioning look. Apparently, due to the amount of leather on him, the boy was masochistic. However, he shrugged – no need to dwell on a negative subject too long. He checked his pocket for some change and found some. He smirked and asked him (while the girl and the other boys teased her for some reason or another) if he could accompany him while he'd get his lunch. He agreed.

The rest of the lunch period went by smoothly. People (particularly the tough crowd) occasionally came by to harass the tri-color hair boy about his choice of clothes, friends, and hair style. The boy wouldn't stand up for himself however Joey did. The bullies at first thought that Joey was a pansy because of the way he looked.

Joey proved them that looks are defiantly deceiving. Of course the teachers didn't approve of it, but since it was the first day of school, they gave him a warning (however reluctant it was).

"Joey, you didn't have to stand up for me…" Yuugi said, not really happy with the fact that Joey punched the guys into the other students' tables.

Joey smirked at him. "Nah, it's nothin' really! I just didn't want to see any of my friends gettin' bullied ya know?" he said as he placed his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.

Yuugi smiled a warm smile. Joey smirked back as he placed his hand on Yuugi's backside and patted it.

"Let's get to class, okay Joey? I don't think the teacher would appreciate it if we stayed away too long!"

Joey nodded even though he didn't want to go back to class – the day was almost over!

**oooo**

Joey followed Yuugi until they made it back to the classroom. He had received a lecture from the teacher about fighting with the other students as well as being late. Naturally it went through one ear and out the other. He went to his seat after the teacher had finished; and as soon as he took his seat, he glanced at Yuugi's direction and gave him up thumbs up. Yuugi rolled his eyes and laughed to himself about the blonde's silly habits – and he'd just met him that day! It's amazing how fast people bond…

The class was boring in itself so Joey decided to chat with Yuugi since he seemed relatively more interesting to talk to then the others he met. The guy with the spiked hair was cool – albeit a bit too cocky about his ability to get the ladies. The white haired boy was too soft-spoken while the black haired one was too outspoken. Joey wasn't one to talk to girls on a regular basis so that also excluded the brunette girl. He tore a sheet of notebook paper and started to write his note to Yuugi.

After he was done, he folded it up and cleverly passed it to him. Yuugi took it and opened it. The boy rolled his eyes again and wrote something in return. He tossed it back to Joey. This process kept going until the teacher turned around and caught them in the act of passing.

"And just what is more important then this English lesson that's going to be on next week's test?" the man stated.

Yuugi glanced at Joey for him to act quickly. "Well, teach, I was just givin' Yuug here some tips on how to defend himself in case he ever needs it."

The man narrowed his eyes. "You can tell him those tips after school – after detention." And with that he resumed class.

Joey slumped over his desk – first that stupid rich boy pulled a trick on him, then he got in trouble for defending a fellow student! And now he got in trouble for passing notes. Well better him then Yuugi.

Can this day get any worse?

**oooo**

Yes. This day could get worse.

He rubbed his head to soothe out the pain that throbbed. He saw double for a few minutes before his vision cleared up. Then he felt himself get hoisted by a fist. He met angry blue eyes. He glared at them back.

"Stay out of my way, you damn idiot." The boy spouted out.

"Hey! I didn't even see you, rich boy!" he retorted.

His eyes narrowed even more. "How could you not see me? I was right in front of you! If you stop following that Motou boy mindlessly, then maybe you could've seen 5 feet in front of you!" he glowered.

"Get off your damn high horse! You appeared out of nowhere!"

Yuugi, feeling confident, decided to stop Kaiba before he hurt his new friend (or even scare him).

"K-Kaiba, please leave him alone! I'm sorry he bumped into you!"

"Hey Yuug, don't apologize to this creep!" Joey interrupted.

Seto applied more pressure and the blonde winced. He smirked.

"I don't care for your apologies, Motou. Just keep your damn dog on his leash." He quipped. He threw Joey to the side and picked up his papers. Joey, feeling a bit angry, actually stepped on a piece of paper the brunette was reaching for.

"Get off."

"I would, but you're not my type." Joey smirked as he crossed his arms.

Yuugi face-palmed as a crowd started to gather the couple, anticipating a fist-fight between the two as they started the preliminary arguments.

Seto growled at this. He put on his best death glare but was surprised to see that the boy didn't budge this time.

"I told you, get off. Or do I have to get your master to order you to?"

"And I told you, you're not my type sweetie."

With that, Kaiba pushed Joey off and he landed on his shoulder with a loud SLAM against the lockers.

"Ow! Damn! For a rich boy, you do have some strength!" as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

"Surely you can come up with a better nickname, mongrel, unless your vocabulary really is as small as your brain."

Joey growled as he swiped a piece of paper from the ground and shoved it in his face. "Here ya go. Now leave me the hell alone. I ain't done nothing to yah!" as he gave the rich boy a rather obvious salute. The students gasped. No one gave Seto Kaiba the finger – and lived!

"Do you want to die, mongrel?"

"Nah, not for another 90 years or so. Why'd you ask, hot shot?"

And with that Kaiba pushed him against the locker again. The crowd started to chant "Fight!" as this time, Joey struck back. Both boys got in quite a few punches before a couple of teachers were able to separate the two. The boys had black eyes and Joey had a bloody nose and lip and he was trying to escape the gym teacher's grip and try to lay on more punches on the boy however they dragged them to the principal's office.

**oooo**

Joey had his lip cleaned up a bit and they both had ice packs for their eyes. Seto was cleaner then the two but he was probably the one with more fury. Well, of course not as much as the principal but he had a smug look. Perhaps it was because a rich kid got in trouble?

"Well, well, well. Seto Kaiba, president and CEO of Kaiba Corps, in my office for juvenile acts. What do you have to say, Mr. Kaiba?" he stated. The principal was quite tall. His hair was already gray. He wore a brown business suit, loafers, and a red tie. He paced around the two before he settled in his big principle desk, with his hands clasped in front of him. He had the smuggest grin a human being could ever muster.

Oh, so that's why everyone made a big deal about him flipping him off. Who would've guessed?

Kaiba kept his mouth shut.

"Oh, you have nothing to say. I see. How about you, Mr. Wheeler? Do you have anything to say that might be the reason you two were fighting like children?"

Joey glanced at the brunette and he looked embarrassed. Maybe Joey was a bit harsh? He supposed this is what Yuugi meant when he said he had to help Kaiba in any way. Well. Joey supposed he could help his ass once in a while as long as he didn't make it a habit.

"I accidentally said something rude about someone's mom and he took as it offensive." Joey lied as he acted guilty.

Kaiba glanced at him with a confused expression. Joey looked at him and said. "I'm sorry I said that. I'm sure you're mother isn't responsible for all the endangered species."

Kaiba blinked.

The principal blinked.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I care about the environment – what are ya goin to do about it? Sue me?"

**oooo**

When the two walked out of the office a couple hours later about numerous lectures that was a chore to remember in itself, the two didn't glance at each other. However, Kaiba was the first to speak.

"Why in the hell did you do that?"

Joey looked at him. "Well, that guy was obviously tryin' to bring ya down. So why not help a guy out?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. He glared at him. "I can take care of myself." And with that he turned and stormed off.

Joey glared at the disappearing figure and mumbled. "You're welcome, Moneybags." He decided to walk home since he knew he'd most likely missed the bus to where he lived. Joey knew that the words Kaiba said was his own special way of saying "Thank you" and therefore he wasn't disappointed much when he didn't say thanks out loud. However, Joey figured that it wasn't going to be the last time they would have a brawl like that.

**oooooo**

**Author's Notes: **Okay after this I'm going to be burrowing myself in trying to finish chapter eight of "Fan Letters" so yeah…it might be a while until I update this fanfic again. Well, unless this bunny keeps on nagging me. ;P Reviews are encouragement for me to continue. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Flames are not. I know my grammar isn't the best but please bear with it until it's finished and I send it to my betas to get it fixed and reposted.


	4. Chapter IV: Why He Helps Family

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **Again, here's another chapter from me. XD As it's turning out, this bunny won't let me continue my fanfic! So here's another chapter. And no, I don't own Yuugi-Oh.

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Four

**Why He Helps Family**

The day had been confusing for Seto indeed. Why in the world did that idiot and waste of space helped him? Surely not out friendship. The boy had been indignant towards him ever since he pulled his innocent prank that morning. Perhaps that freakish shrimp had the brunette preach to him the importance of having annoying comrades. Feh, again, like he needed another member of the Nerd Squad trying to recruit him.

However, Seto did not have time to think on such silly and trivial thoughts. He had to try to get his brother out of his slump. He sighed as he rested his head against the black tinted windows. It was times like these where Seto could easily fall into a daydream or drift off to sleep. Even though, in his mind, he knew he would be close by the time he fell completely at peace, but the movement of the vehicle tempted the young man to fall asleep. He decided to give in to the lulling rocking; Seto closed his eyes just to rest his eyelids from staring at the monotonous boards the teachers use. However, because at the invitation to rest, his body decided to catch up on some lost sleep.

He woke up when he heard his name being called by his employee. He grunted as he opened his eyes. The setting sun surprised the brunet thus having to block it using his hand. He almost growled as he realized where he was. He was back at the mansion. When he stepped out of the sleek limo, he glanced over the yard expecting Mokuba to run out and hug him around his waist. The younger Kaiba would be asking questions about his day, if he saw Yuugi and his gang of misfits and if Seto said his hellos. But Seto got more worried when he didn't see the ball of black hair spring out of the house. He marched inside the mansion, took off his shoes, and wondered if he stayed at that spot during the whole time he was at that wretched place.

He walked towards the room where he had left the boy. The maid that was assigned to watch him tried to frantically assure Seto that she did her best to help Mokuba. The maid was pretty even though she was hired help. Her hair was dark and artificially curled at the edges. Her eyes were brown as well; her body type was petite but she had that motherly aura about her. She tempted him with the usual round of pranks around the rich neighborhood; even going as far as tempting the boy to take him to Seto when he had came out of school. However, she obviously didn't succeed in any of those ideas. She cursed herself in French and expected Seto to fire her on the spot for not doing what her employer had assigned her to do.

She was surprised when he just dismissed her back to her normal chores. She thanked him (in English and French) and headed back to where she was supposed to be during the day as it were. Seto opened the door to the room where he last found Mokuba, and there he was. Still spaced out, watching, and waiting until he saw the golden fur that belonged to his most treasured pet.

Never had Seto seen Mokuba like this. Whenever of his previous pets had disappeared, Mokuba would be upset, yes, but he'd get over quick as soon as Seto mentioned a chance of purchasing a new pet. Seto huffed. What made this dog so special? Was it because it remained longer then the others? Then again, he'd have to give the animal credit though he'd never admit it. Thankfully the teachers were kind enough to give the students minimal homework (just to sign papers – of course Seto would have to do it on his own anyway), and he was still taking a break from Kaiba Corps.

The room was quite elegant, albeit used frequently by growing teenagers. It was the room Mokuba would use whenever he'd bring friends over to the estate. There were quite a few futons laid out on the ground where the boys would do whatever young boys did nowadays. At the corner, there was a huge plasma television, a DVD player, a few game consoles, and a dresser filled with all the latest and best games from Kaiba Corps and the small companies they had taken over (and let them keep their names) before. The dresser had a few drawers empty as well in case his friends were going to stay for a while (during breaks in spring, summer, and winter). The dresser was made out of plywood and it had simplistic designs on it so it wouldn't take the simplicity of the room away (minus the television of course). There was a desk that was similar to Seto's in case he had to watch the boys while he did his work. Behind the desk was a window with a nice balcony the boys could hang out (and drop things on top of the poor gardener) and gaze at the stars if they wanted to. Mokuba sat straight up in the clothes he wore _since _the dog's disappearance. Seto tried every trick in the book to get him to take a bath, but it failed save for two instances. Seto walked by the boy (he almost seemed dead) and noticed the untouched dinner the maid had placed for him to eat.

Seto sighed, walked in front of him, crouched down, and stared at him. Mokuba, as well as any human being, would've jumped at the sudden scenery change. However, Mokuba sat still and remained motionless. Seto gazed deeper into his brother gray-blue eyes and saw nothing. He reached out and felt his temperature from his forehead. It seemed normal. He placed on a smile (even though it was extremely non-real) and asked the boy.

"Have you seen your dog yet?"

Mokuba shook his head. His eyes started to fill up with tears as some strayed down his cheeks. He spoke, but his voice was horse since he hadn't used it in a while. "N-no…What if Katsuya never comes back, brother?"

Seto rubbed his head. "He'll come back. All dogs are loyal to their masters." Mokuba narrowed his eyes and pretty much glared at his brother. "Then what about my other dogs, brother? How come _they _didn't come back when I found them?"

"It was because they were already attached to their new owners, Mokuba. They probably felt more at home then here. Besides, they didn't want to be cooped up here while we toured the world." He explained at his best. He tried not to be sarcastic. This was a delicate subject with his brother and he had to treat it as such. The last thing he wanted was his brother hating him.

"But Katsuya was different. He liked being with us! Why did he have to run away?" Mokuba said as his voice rose in volume.

Seto was at a halt. How could he answer that question? He himself didn't know the answer. The animal _did _seem to enjoy his stay there. However that didn't answer the question. In fact, it only raised more questions, but for now he had to concentrate on helping his brother's focus shifted from the dog to his own health.

Then a metaphoric light bulb turned itself on. Mokuba hadn't been in the arcade for quite a while – perhaps a trip to the arcade would help him out of his slump. Of course there's a chance that he might run into the Nerd Squad. He grimaced inwardly at the thought. If they saw Mokuba, they would automatically assume that he was around to chat. But that was a chance Seto was willing to take. Plus, noting how lethargic the blond had been in the ending classes of the day, the chance of meeting the blond idiot was small to none. And even if he were tired, the leader of the Nerd Squad would want to show him around town – almost secretly inviting him to become his lover. Seto smirked. It was almost too perfect.

"I don't know, Mokuba. But why don't we go to the arcade? I'm sure they've installed that new game from the company." Seto stated as he stood to take his hand.

Mokuba gave him a confusing glance. "Brother, are you okay? You hate the arcade!"

Seto snorted. "And? I can't change my mind about it?"

Mokuba cracked a grin, but it was short-lived. He forced himself up and he fell on the ground. Naturally, Seto caught him and helped him stand up. After Seto changed out of his school uniform (and into his infamous trench coat set) and Mokuba took another bath plus wearing fresh clothes, they headed out towards the limo. However, Mokuba didn't want to leave. He felt that if he left, Katsuya would appear. And if Katsuya would appear, the canine would be trying to find its owner. And if the owners aren't there, Mokuba thought the dog would think that they no longer wanted him. Seto told him he was being foolish.

"Where to, sir?" asked the chauffeur as he opened the door and bowed in respect for his boss and his younger brother.

"The arcade." Seto stated as the duo hopped in the limo. The chauffeur nodded and proceeded to the driver seat to start the vehicle.

**oooo**

The trip was quiet, although Seto could understand. He had finally got the boy out of the house after many attempts. Mokuba stared into the passing world; he sneered at those who had pets – particularly dog owners. Now Seto was even more worried if not already. Mokuba was the kind-hearted one in the family and had a pretty good judgment of character. So he attempted conversation. Since it was his brother, of course he had no trouble starting conversation – Seto knew Mokuba's likes and dislikes. However, Mokuba shot him down. Seto wondered if bringing him out to the world was a bad idea in the first place.

They had made it to arcade and it was almost a battle to get the boy out of the car. Seto grabbed the back of Mokuba's shirt and almost literally dragged him out. The boy protested but Seto threatened to ground him if he didn't obey his older honorable brother.

Seto was not comfortable with the reversal role. He was used to the battles he had with Mokuba when Seto himself didn't want to attend to a facility where he was pretty sure he would meet up with the Nerd Squad.

"Brother, you need to make friends!" the boy would say. "It's not healthy to be lonesome all the time! I really do appreciate all the things you do for me, but please! Do something for yourself!"

However, it was Seto's turn to give him the lectures. But how can one lecture another when one hasn't experienced it themselves? Seto couldn't understand what sort of healing powers the arcade could possibly possess, but he was willing to try just about anything to help Mokuba. He can't stand it to see his brother miserable. As far as Seto knew, Kaibas were not ones to let petty things get them down. Naturally Kaiba saw the dog as a petty thing to be upset about. But obviously it meant a lot to Mokuba. Thankfully those who had watched the spectacle between the brothers made sure that they wouldn't speak a word of it to any of the press or tabloids. It was bad enough when word got out that Seto was a homosexual. How his company's stock bonds reached higher then before was beyond his comprehension – however, he had learned to never question a good thing.

He walked in the infernal arcade with a migraine and a growling Mokuba (!) to be surprised to see a dog…walking…on its hind legs? Perhaps it was a bad idea to have slept in the limo earlier that afternoon. He was having hallucinations. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes to see instead of the mangy dog, it was the blond loser playing at a game machine. But…there was a dog in his place? Perhaps he was only fooled by the gold hair. Well, not like he found the hair attractive. He seemed the kind to not even care if his hair was as tousled as it were. However he feared that he wasn't the only one who had that hallucination. The blond wasn't wearing his school uniform; he was wearing a white shirt with blue sleeves. He wore jeans and a pair of worn out sneakers.

"Katsuya!" the boy cried as he dashed towards to hug the supposed dog. Instead he hugged the blonde's leg, Mokuba didn't seem to notice. He tried to pull the blond down, and of course the blond protested.

"Hey kid! Let go of mah leg!" he said as he tried to pry the boy off but the boy clung tighter. So he had to divert even more of his attention from his game to the boy who cuddled his leg. After many attempts, the blond finally managed to get the boy off of his leg by kicking him.

And then Seto saw red.

He balled up his fists and marched to the blond who had cursed the fact Mokuba distracted him from the game he had his attention on. Seto wasted no time – he walked towards the blond, grabbed him by the back of his shirt (with him protesting of course), dragged him to the alleyway. Mokuba followed because he wanted to know where his brother was taking his dog…

**oooo**

Seto threw the blond against the cold brick wall and glared at him as he lowered his hands slightly (because of the height difference between the two) to choke him. However the blond smacked them away.

"What the hell is your problem? I didn't even _do _anything to yah! And where in tha hell did ya even come from? What are yah, some kind of phantom?" the blond yelled.

However, Seto didn't need to hear petty excuses like "I didn't know he was your brother". He brought up his balled fist, with the rings basically promoting his company, and went straight for his nose.

The blond dodged it and tried to dodge his punches – so the blond, had no choice but to push the taller teen away. He was going to make a dash for it when he heard the crying voice of the same kid who had tried to cut off the circulation to his leg.

"Brother, be nice to Katsuya! He didn't do anything to you! Please don't hit him anymore!"

Seto's migraine throbbed in pain.

"Mokuba, that's not your stupid dog. It's just a stupid fool who crossed the wrong path."

"Who the hell is Katsuya? Mah name's Joey, kid!" the blond pointed to himself with a very confused expression on his face. The boy glanced at the blond with teary eyes and gave him a just as confused glance.

"B-but I saw him! I saw my dog, Katsuya!" he yelled. Joey stammered.

"Mokuba, you're hallucinating. That's a dog alright – but a mutt." Seto quipped. Joey furrowed his brows and glared at the older Kaiba.

"Who asked you, asshole?"

"You did, obviously."

Joey was going to lung at the brunet if it weren't for the fact that the small boy was there in front of him. However he growled instead.

"Look, ya prick; don't get mad at me for whatever he imagined." Joey stated as he pointed to Mokuba. Mokuba blinked and then rubbed his eyes. His eyes had felt funny ever since they had arrived at the arcade but now it felt funnier then before. He walked to the side as Seto glared even harder at the blond and the boy stepped back.

"It's your fault for taking his dog."

Joey blinked. "What tha hell? I think ya need to see a shrink or somethin'! I don't have a dog! I'm allergic to them!"

Seto chuckled, "So you're allergic to your own kind?"

"Dammit! I'm not a dog!" and with that, the blond ran off again. Seto figured it was due to cowardice. The boy had better be afraid of him – how dare he take Mokuba's sanity in front of him! If Seto weren't as the influential brother that he is, he would've probably used the foulest language that would make even sailors grimaced in disgust and shake their heads in shame.

**oooo**

The brothers decided to return home for Mokuba got bored at the arcade. The situation itself was strange, yet again. Usually, the boy would be pouting with a sentence of no friends over for using disgraceful language that would've tainted the Kaiba name if the media had arrived. However, this was not the case obviously. Both Kaiba brothers were sitting on the opposite ends of the limo seats. They both were pouting, but Mokuba was more evident then Seto. They were also had their attention focused on the outside world – with the tension you can cut with a butter knife. The black haired boy was mad because his brother might've chased away his probable dog, and for ruining his chances yet again for attaining a friend. While the brunet was angry for the possible accusation for his younger brother insane, and at the fact the boy didn't believe him when he said that he wasn't the damn dog.

When they had arrived back at the manor, however, Seto banished Mokuba to his room instead of the room he had found him in hours before. But Mokuba ignored him. He went back to the room in an almost robotic state. Seto wanted to drive him out of the room, however, he couldn't. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that Mokuba found that to be a sort of haven and lookout for the boy. He was still waiting for the canine to return home. He sighed as he headed towards his office.

He opened the door and sat himself down on the chair. He knew that he shouldn't have been up there in the first place, but if the guest bedroom was Mokuba's safe-haven, then why couldn't Seto have the same privilege? This was where he made the most important decisions anyway about Mokuba, Kaiba Corps., and his own needs should the occasion ever arise. He leaned back and sighed. The migraine he had earlier that day had made itself known again. He placed his hand over his temple and contemplated on checking his e-mail. Even though he wasn't working, who said he couldn't answer any e-mails?

He turned on his laptop that sat on top of the desk before him. He raised himself up as he logged onto his Kaiba Corp account. When he had checked his e-mail, he cursed under his breath. His employees were having all kinds of problems with the video games – such as even more parents complaining about the content of it, the constant glitches and server crashes of the online play, and the players' incompetence by taking advantage of the glitches and server crashes. Seto grinded his teeth together in frustration. He answered the e-mails by stating he would be back in the office – fixing another mess yet again that his idiot employees couldn't work out for themselves. He then decided to return to work after a few days. He didn't accomplish things with Mokuba but instead he possibly made it worse. Also, he would never want to go back to that dirty arcade – he had better games in his own mansion then what they had at that place.

The games were made by mindless and stupid companies who'd recycle the same idea until fans decided they want something new to numb their minds with. Seto made sure that the games were original and fresh. Or as original and fresh as they could be. Even though some game reviews would slam the Kaiba Company about continuing a certain game even though it had legions of fan boys and fan girls aching for more. However, Seto didn't care on what they thought, nor did he have time to care about what they thought of the games. As soon as one game out, it's time to make a new one. Seto would like to wait a couple of months before another game could be released due to checking and re-checking for glitches and possible server crashes – which is why he was angry in the first place. Due to the demands for the newly released game, they rushed to finish it – thus not giving Seto or other people a chance to check it over for glitches and server crashes.

But Seto felt that he needed to get back to work. Bills will not pay themselves, and he had an image to maintain. If word got out that Seto Kaiba took a break from Kaiba Corp any longer then a week, he mused, then they would've portrayed him as a slacker – which is something he's not. For now, he would let the maid tend to Mokuba. If she had anything important to report about the boy, she would call him on his private line – until the dog returns. Even though he didn't want to give the number to the insufferable woman, he realized he had to – he wanted to know anything new about the pre-teen.

After he had answered the e-mails, he turned off his laptop and checked the time. It turned out to be quite late in the evening and he had to return to the mindless, brainless, and witless fools he'd never call his "equals" or "classmates" for that matter.

**oooooo**

**Ending Notes: **I know that this chapter isn't as great as the others – I'm sure I got lots of mistakes… But meh, this is what happened when you're grounded for almost a month and you have barely any inspiration any more due to lack of internet. In any case, I hope that clears up some confusion about the dog and Joey connection. Heh. In any case, please leave a review if you would be so kind. Reviews encourage me, constructive criticism is welcomed, but I do not accept flames. And now, off to work on chapter five since this bunny won't leave me alone.


	5. Chapter V: Down in the Slumps

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **I don't own the show Yu-Gi-Oh, sadly enough. Before I start the chapter, I'd like to say that I am totally against fanfics where Joey's dad is abusive and he just takes it and while Seto comes to the rescue. That's not Joey, nor is that Seto. I'm going to try to make it where Joey is smarter then that and he wouldn't need or want help from anyone unless he asks for it. He seems the type to do that, right? Also, I don't quite understand why people bash Anzu. I mean, so what if she likes Yami and Yuugi? If you're expecting Anzu-bashing, you're not going to find it here. In any case, sorry about the rants and here is the fifth chapter.

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Five

**Down in the Slumps**

The blond had run until he was sure the brunet couldn't follow him. Joey looked back to see if anyone was following him, but luckily there wasn't. He sighed and proceeded to walk home. Even though rich boys like Seto didn't scare him, he was quite surprised on how strong the older boy was! Joey made a mental note to be careful not to fist-fight with him anytime soon, but he knew his big-mouth would cause a fist-fight eventually so there wasn't any point to that.

He placed his hands in his pocket and muttered. He then realized that he had planned to meet Yuugi at his shop. He slapped himself on the forehead on how easily he forgot things. How could he forget? He made a quick turn and dashed toward the direction Yuugi had informed him earlier.

**oooo**

Yuugi glanced out of the window again and sighed. Where was he? He was supposed to be there a few minutes ago! Plus the arcade wasn't _that _far off as far as he knew. The brunette had her attention in a fashion magazine when she saw Yuugi glance out the window again.

The store was quite small even though it was very popular.

"Yuugi, relax! He's going to be here." she said as she set aside her magazine. Ever since school let out, Yuugi had done nothing but talk about Joey. Not that it surprised her or anything. Whenever Yuugi would make a new friend, he would talk incessantly about them until they had established a relationship. At first she was jealous because of the special attention they were getting from the happy little boy; after some drama, however, she realized that's just his personality. Despite his rather odd choice in clothes, Yuugi Motou is a happy boy.

Yuugi pouted and gave her an innocent look. "But what if he forgot?"

She placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. "With you hanging on his arm and talking his ear off, I'm sure he wouldn't!"

And right on cue, the blond came in – huffing and puffing though he had just ran the triathlon. He had sweated a little and he had a bruise and a scrape on his elbow. She waved her hello but frowned when she spotted the scrape.

Of course Yuugi chimed in before she could open her mouth for concern. "Joey! Are you alright?" the boy exclaimed as he rushed to Joey, to check if he needed help.

Joey waved his hand as he caught up with his breath. After a few moments, he was finally able to speak.

"It's just a scrape. I tripped over my shoelaces and fell on the way over. Don'tcha worry bout me, Yuug!" the blond stated as he gave the smaller boy a cheeky grin.

The brunette rolled her eyes since there's no distracting the boy from the other. She picked up her magazine and picked up where she left off. Yuugi rushed to the back of the shop to get a box with a red cross on it.

Once Yuugi opened the box, he got out the alcohol to rub against the red mark, as well as the blue and purple mark. Joey winced slightly because it stung and cold, and wished that Yuugi stopped treating him like a child – though he appreciated the gesture. Yuugi cleaned it up for it had pebbles and dirt on it despite Joey's calls for him to stop.

"Joey, I don't want this to become infected!" Yuugi stated as he got out a bandage. Joey frowned for he knew Yuugi's right. He glanced over to the side with a pouty look on his face. Yuugi giggled and went back to put the first aid kit back.

The girl sighed and decided that she was no longer needed there. Apparently Yuugi had taken a liking to Joey, and that he didn't need her around then. She picked up her magazine and made her way out the door without so much as a glance to the confused blond.

Joey blinked after her. He didn't even noticed that she was even in the shop… this was not good. He'd have to apologize to her the next day because of his unobvious stupidity. Joey may not seem like he's the smartest, but he's quite observant – and it's obvious that girl's jealous. He took the time to look around the shop he was in. It was small despite being very popular (according to Yuugi). When Yuugi came back, he didn't notice that the girl had gone off.

"So, Joey, how come you were late?" he asked, wondering what had kept his new friend up.

Joey shrugged. "Yanno, just got a bit too distracted at the arcade I guess. Oh yeah. I ran into that prick again!" as he remembered the rich boy's crazy brother calling him a dog.

Yuugi gave Joey a confused look. "Who, Joey?"

"Yanno! The dude who runs that company? The dude I fought with earlier today?"

Yuugi nodded his head. "What about Kaiba?"

"Well, get this! His crazy brother came up to me and thought I was a dog! What tha hell is up with that?" Joey ranted. But this obviously offended Yuugi.

"Mokuba's not crazy, Joey! He'd probably mistake you for a dog that had run away." Yuugi huffed.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Is that his name? He seems pretty crazy ta me."

Yuugi sighed and shook his head. "Mokuba's not crazy. He's just depressed, Joey. I was going to ask you if you'd like to come over and meet him this weekend, actually."

Joey stared at him for a minute or two and then busted out laughing. "A-Are you serious? I seriously don't think that guy would allow me to see him! Yuug, he'd kill me if given the chance!"

The shorter boy crossed his arms. "Joey, I'm sure he'd forget it by then. Kaiba has a lot on his plate."

"Aside from being a prick?"

"Joey…"

"Alright, alright. But be sure to call tha morgue. In case, yanno…I end up killing the prick or he kills me." Joey winked. Yuugi just rolled his eyes with a faint smile on his face.

**oooo**

The rest of the visit was fun as expected and Joey had to return home. He waved to the boy and headed off. He glanced at the sky and noticed that it had gotten much darker then what it was earlier. He ran, being careful not to fall down again. When he looked around to see the neighborhood looking quite trashy, he smiled. He was on the right track. The trip seemed endless since he practically lived on the other side of town. But he was thankful that his dad was sober enough to drive him to school.

Once Joey had made it to his apartment complex, he stopped for a minute to yawn – now realizing how tired he really was from the day. He shook his head and headed to the elevator that was working. When he had reached his floor, he got off quite groggily. He almost tripped and fell if it weren't for the fact that there was glass on the ground. Joey smirked. Perhaps some hapless burglar tried to break in his apartment, eh? Good thing his father could tell the difference between some burglar and his flesh and blood. He walked to his apartment where the door was slightly open. The smell of alcohol overwhelmed the blond, but he tried to control his gag reflex.

"Boy? Is that you?" a much older voice rang out.

"Yeah, Dad." he said as he cleverly walked over the empty and discarded bottles that were scattered all over the floor. He yawned since he'll have to get used to going to work on the weekend, and having to go to school during the week. He thanked God that he had Sunday off. He walked over to the tiny kitchen they had and started to scurry for anything to eat – even if they were almost moldy leftovers. His stomach made itself known as Joey hunted for his dinner. It was then he realized that his father had forgotten to go grocery shopping.

Joey sighed. He really should've put on better locks on it. Maybe he could steal from his new friends' during lunch. Besides Yuugi would probably be worried about his diet, the blond was sure. Joey laughed at the thought, but considered giving him a call despite being late. Joey shook the thought of his head. Nah, he shouldn't even thought about taking advantage of Yuugi's kindness.

He decided to go ahead and sleep. He'd have to wake up pretty early anyway. Even though his dad's an alcoholic, he was able to maintain a job…for once. Joey had to get a job so he could get the things he wanted without any questions. "It's your money, do what you want" the older Wheeler would say. His father worked not only to pay the bills, but to pay for Joey's tuition to Domino Private School.

The apartment was small and it looked trashy. There was a small television screen on a piece of crappy furniture. The ground was covered in used beer bottles and various potato chip bags. The sofa and recliner looked much worn out and dirty as if it hadn't been washed in years. Thankfully, there weren't any strange smells emitting from said furniture. He headed past the bathroom that had a rusty sink with an equally rusty tub.

When Joey opened his door to his room, he let out a sigh from the stressful day. He got lost in the hallways looking for the damn homeroom no thanks to that bastard, and then he had fought him! And even a trip to the arcade to let out his stress was interrupted! Although when he recalled when that crazy little kid calling him Katsuya, he had that déjà vu feeling like he had met them before. But he considered it him being tired from all the excitement from the day. Joey sighed as he sat on his bed. He reached over and took off his shirt and tossed it amongst the rest of the clothes that were scattered on the floor. He laid back and yelled various curse words.

Maybe he shouldn't think of that brunet before he'd go to sleep. It's only going to bring unwanted nightmares. Joey spent the rest of the evening tricking his dad into signing the forms he had to return to school and reading up some comic books he had purchased some time ago. Once it was 10:52 PM, Joey was beat and his stomach was still demanding food. Joey patted on it as if it were to calm it down.

"Don't worry – I'll just see if we have any leftovers at the joint." Joey stated as he dreamt of dancing hamburgers and drinks.

**oooooo**

**Ending Notes**: I apologize for the tardiness – but I really need to busy myself with another fanfic before this bunny can start attacking me again. XD For some reason, when I fully dedicate myself to a fanfic, the bunny hops away and another starts nibbling… So just because of that, I'm going to try to update whenever this bunny's in control. -eyes reviews- Because of how popular it seems to be getting, I take it I better up it a notch. XD In any case, please review if you can. Constructive criticism is always welcomed. :)


	6. Chapter VI: Up in the Hills

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. And here's an update finally! For some reason, Seto is easier to write the Joey…I hope I'm not butchering these characters though. If I am, please let me know. I want to be as accurate as I can with these two. In any case, here's chapter six! Enjoy. Also, from now on, there's going to be a lot of flower references and their meanings.

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Six

**Up in the Hills**

The first thing the sleepy brunet heard was his annoying alarm clock. Even though his internal clock woke him up, his body defied the clock on occasion. He straightened out his pajama top and his pants (even though they didn't need to…) as he rose from the comfortable bed. He opened the curtains and slightly winced at the oncoming sun; thus automatically planned to stay outside before the bell rang and to eat outside the dirty cafeteria yet again. He opened the window and walked onto the richly designed balcony. He just glanced at the garden that lay out before him.

There was a beautiful wave of orchids and daises. When Seto first laid eyes on them, he glared at the infuriating flowers. He knew what they meant. The gardener was a hopeless romantic. Seto should've fired her for it, but Mokuba convinced him that the flowers were needed. Then he realized that he'd been out staring at the garden for about approximately 10 minutes. He should've been done with his shower by then. Instead he'd been staring with longevity and idiocy. He gave the peaceful garden with a glare on his face and proceeded to go inside the mansion.

After Seto had buttoned up his school uniform, he headed towards Mokuba's room to see if the boy had taken the liberty to at least get some sleep. When he didn't see not even a pillow's lump, he headed straight to the guest room. Alas, Mokuba was asleep on one of the futons. Well, the one that was nearest to the window. He let out a breath of relief. At least Mokuba was getting some rest. He sat near the boy's head and watched him as he slept.

Mokuba still looked like a child, even for a growing teenager. Seto laughed slightly at the thought. He often wondered on what he would've been like if his parents didn't go on that trip. Would he be as cold-hearted as he is? Probably so. He'd find something to be bitter about. However, his watch started beeping, letting him know that he had better start getting to class. He rubbed the younger boy's head and then left the mansion. He knew the maid was probably just waking up to fix Mokuba his breakfast.

**oooo**

Because he lived up in the hills, where the rich wouldn't dare to be tainted by the gruff, Seto had to leave quite early if he wanted to make it to the private school in time. When he had finally arrived, it was still a good while before it's time for the bell to ring. Although, a lot of the students had arrived and they were just hanging out in front of the building before it was time to go in. The brunet internally grimaced as he saw the Nerd Squad. He gave the group a glance (hoping that they didn't see him) just to see if they had planned to befriend him yet again.

He saw the midget talking to the annoying brunette girl, although she seemed to be a bit annoyed. _Good_, he thought as sat down at his spot at the tree. _The annoying broad deserves it after all those speeches._ Seto whipped out his book and started to read it. However he didn't expect to come back to earth when a certain voice rang out.

"Hey Yuug!"

His brow immediately burrowed as he recalled the past day's event. Well, it wasn't like he wanted to. It just happened. The annoying boy had bad memories tagged on him – and it was only the second day of school. He didn't want to dwell on the idiot. In fact, he had done so more then he'd like to. It wasn't like he was growing attached to the boy anyway.

However, he wanted to know what was going on. He could use this for his advantage after all in case they tried to befriend him yet again. He slightly glanced above his book to see the staggering blond reaching his waving friends. Seto wanted to puke at probably the most clichéd scene ever invented. Whoever did this atrocity should be shot.

In any case, the group quickly surrounded the boy as if he were someone worthy of their protection. Again, the sight was disgusting. Nevertheless, nothing interesting happened. He growled silently at them. How dare they waste his time! He started to read his book when he heard a nervous female's voice.

"U-Um, Mr. Kaiba?" she stuttered.

The brunet narrowed his eyes. It was too early in the school year for the sniveling girls to be confessing their love for them. However, the Nerd Squad had made him angry and he needed a way to channel his anger before it would get him in trouble with that asshole of a principal. He glanced over the book yet again to meet with the girl's eyes.

She blushed even more. "I-I know that you're busy…b-but I was wondering if you and I could… y-ya know…"

Seto placed the book in his lap with his thumb in between the pages. He was anxious to lash out at her. Besides, these females would usually get cheered up at the mere mention of shopping for useless objects or eating tubs of ice cream. Ugh.

"Out with it, girl." Seto stated as he started to get a headache. Her voice was shrill enough just talking to her friends. But when she's nervous? Not a pleasant sound.

This caused the girl to blush more as she gripped the hem of her obviously shortened skirt and tried to find the words as she stammered even more. Seto sighed. This was going to be a while.

"W-will you go out with me this weekend? Please say yes!"

Seto didn't miss a beat. He was so used to breaking girls' hearts; he really could careless on how mean he was to that particular girl.

"No. I wouldn't go out with you ever. I am not interested in any relationships. What part of that do you not understand?" as he rose to enter the school building. It was obvious that he was an easy target for all kinds of species he did not wish to interact with.

"Seto Kaiba, come back here!" yelled a different female as her friend bawled like a baby. Seto didn't change his stride. He ignored the yelling female as he headed towards the door to resume his book since it had been interrupted. Of course he knew that the rest of the student body stared at him. Nosey pricks.

However, before he entered the building, he heard a slap. He glanced behind him to see the blond rubbing his sore cheek and sneering at the girl as he walked back to his friends, obviously defeated.

For some reason, this brought a smile to the C.E.O.'s face. He opened the door and walked right in, hoping no one noticed him.

**oooo**

Seto was into his book so much, for once, that he didn't realize that the annoying pests and hamburger joint workers had already entered the building. He blinked twice when he had found himself actually answering to Yuugi Motou.

Perhaps it was time to stop bringing this book to school. It was distracting him and making him stoop to their level.

"What did you say?" he muttered as he slammed his book to his desk. Apparently there was still some time before it was time for the bell to ring.

The small boy jumped and winced slightly.

"I-I said, how come you made that girl cry?"

Seto sighed heavily as if he had told that particular story over and over; which was true. Every time he would reject a girl, she'd cry, and then the Motou Midget confronted him about it. The brunet did not understand why anyone would care about her. She risked her feelings by putting them out in the open. She risked her emotional well-being and any future relations, heaven forbid, with Seto Kaiba; which wouldn't happen anyway.

"I don't know." He lied.

Yuugi sighed and left it at that. He knew that Seto will never tell the truth. He knew that Seto will never be open with anyone with his feelings.

Good riddance at that.

Seto was glad to be rid of him that easily, but at the same time, suspicious and shocked. The midget seemed disappointed even before he talked to him. He then realized that for once the midget hadn't been bugging him about friendship and whatnot that morning. Perhaps that blond befriending them was beneficial. It took attention away from Seto from them while he did nothing but only what stupid mongrels like him would do.

The billionaire chuckled at the thought when he saw the blond fool rub his cheek. He then realized he was trying to pick up the upset girl on the rebound. What a fool. He was glad that idiots like him aren't his type.

Well, okay, maybe totally not his type. Seto had a thing for blonds. That was the only reason why he was drawn to him in the first place. That was the only reason why he was worthy of having a response the other morning, despite him tricking the silly boy.

**oooo**

The rest of the day went as it usually did. Although he had overheard a conversation passed by the females on how that mongrel tried to hit on that girl as if it was the most disgusting display ever. Then again, he couldn't blame them. However, he then concluded that they just needed something to complain about. They would never complain about him, though. Their parents worked for him and if Seto Kaiba could, they could be fired for mysterious reason…

Plus, they would devote themselves to him; joining the fan clubs and gave him special gifts or wearing something special on his birthday. At first he thought it was creepy, then flattered. Now he found them annoying. He wanted them to leave them alone. He didn't care that there was a new member in their club. He didn't care that they beat up some person who didn't like him. Most likely, he wouldn't like them anyway.

Soon lunch was around the corner, and for once, he was eager for it. But it wasn't that he was hungry; it was because it would give him time to read that book. It was so intriguing and he personally found it to be brilliant. The characters seemed like the kind he'd find in real life; complex and troubled persons who just happened to be at the same place at the same time. Their personalities were so opposite of each other, yet they clicked with each other so well.

Seto Kaiba was defiantly not one for silly romance novels, but the maid had it lying around while she was busy trying to get Mokuba to take a bath. The title had caught his interest. The art wasn't very tasteful, but once he opened the book to read the first chapter – he was hooked. He couldn't put it down. He had read it very well over five times already; each time as dramatic and surprising as the first read.

He took a bite out of his sandwich as he read the next line in his favorite novel when he heard a voice clear its throat yet again. He instantly recognized it as he already grown accustomed to it. He glanced up and glared at him yet again.

"What do you want?"

The blond had his arms crossed and he pouted and glared. To be honest, he looked like a puffer fish when he did it. Seto growled. The boy didn't respond. He wasn't going to ask again. So he just stared at him until it felt that the only thing they were exchanging were bolts of electricity. Though, probably not the kind Seto thought it was.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Seto repeated, forcibly. He didn't dare repeat himself to anyone. This mutt better had a damn good reason on giving him the silent treatment for so long. This mutt also better had a damn good reason on making the Great Seto Kaiba repeat himself.

"Why'd ya hurt that girl's feelin's?"

Oh, so that was it.

"Why do you care? She's a stranger to you."

"That ain't tha point!"

"Stop being a damn martyr. As you noticed, it didn't pay off. Now go away before you ruin my appetite even more."

The boy growled as he seemed to try and restrain himself from attacking the brunet.

"Ya didn't answer mah question!"

Seto just ignored him as he stood up, gathered his things, and moved to a different spot. The blond decided to chase him; for he wasn't satisfied.

The brunet decided to just enter the dreaded cafeteria and lose him in the crowd. But before he could make his escape, the infuriating blond blocked the door.

"Step aside, I don't feel like fighting some idiot."

"Not until ya tell me why ya hurt that girl's feelings!"

He narrowed his blue eyes. He truly was a fool. Seto realized that this one was different from Yuugi. Yuugi wouldn't pry too much – but this fool was. Though, he didn't want to play. He wanted to enjoy his book and to be left alone until he had to work. Was that hard to ask for?

"Because I'm not interested in females; I'm not interested in relationships. Not now, not ever. Now that you know, will you get the hell out of my way?" The taller man stated as he pushed the surprised blond aside and stormed inside.

What's so surprising anyway? It was evident that Seto Kaiba had no interest in relationships. Then again, the blond had only been at the school for two days – so he wouldn't know… because he's an oblivious idiot. Even someone like one of the members of the Nerd Squad (the one with a strange hairstyle) would notice that he had no interest in females, or anyone for that matter.

When he had entered the cafeteria, however, he was stopped by said member.

Oh. Great.

**oooooo**

**Ending Notes: **Wewt! Finally, I updated! XD I apologize for the wait. I'm brainstorming yet another Seto/Joey fanfic… But I'm going to have some assistance. So, that explains why I'm not as consistent with this as I used to be. In any case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave an encouraging review (stuff like "Continue!" isn't really all that encouraging… just leaves me saying WTF). I accept constructive criticism as well. And yes, I realize that I turned Kaiba into a romantic. … It was tempting, okay?


	7. Chapter VII: Hunger Unwelcome

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **I don't own Yuugi-Oh sadly. Here's the seventh chapter so soon! I'm really am supposed to be working on another fanfic, but this rabbit. –shakes head- It likes to nibble on me when I don't really need to work on it. XD Please note that this will inevitably be a Seto/Jou – for those who think otherwise.

**A Boy and His Dog**

By LilyChan

Chapter Seven

**Hunger Unwelcome**

Joey stumbled back as the taller man basically told him he was gay. He was pretty surprised, but not by much. The fact that he didn't want a relationship was no surprise. He regained his balance before gravity took hold of him and as the other teen walked in only to be stopped by… what was his name? Tristan. That's it. He was stopped by Tristan. The Mohawk of his stood out in a crowd. He apparently had blocked the other and Joey peeked in to see what was going on.

"Hey! Why are ya bothering him, ya creep?" he heard the boy said. He heard the other teen growl.

"Get away from me, Taylor. I have no business with you!" and with that, he grabbed the other teen and pushed him aside. Joey balled up his fists yet again and walked inside the building, trying to seem calm. He walked by Tristan who had been trying to straighten out his uniform and grabbed Joey's shoulder.

Instinctively, Joey turned around to meet the other boy's brown eyes. There was a bit of silence for apparently dramatic purposes until the teen spoken.

"Beat him up good, alright?" Tristan said as he gave him a strange look. Joey didn't think anything of it though. He nodded and gave him the peace sign. The blond gave him a small smile and felt pumped. He didn't realize that the other boy was staring at him behind before he turned back to their designated table.

**oooo**

Joey had stepped away quite a few ways away from the table as he headed towards the brunet who clearly didn't want to be with him or anyone for that matter. Though he had to get this thing off his chest, he couldn't believe that he said that. Well, he expected him to say that he didn't want a relationship. He defiantly seemed to be the type to be hidden away from everyone else yet somehow in the spotlight.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was curious about Seto Kaiba, CEO and president of Kaiba Corporations. And he wanted to be his friend, Yuugi's lectures getting to him.

He glanced back and noticed that the group of friends was in some sort of amusing conversation. Perhaps Tristan had told them about Kaiba? He shrugged as he made his way towards the brunet. Although he didn't want to appear for no reason, other to talk about what happened out there, Joey decided to create an excuse.

Well, truth be said, he hadn't ate since the previous day. Even then it wasn't much because he was busy fighting those bullies away. He glanced at the brunet. It seemed he wasn't very interested on that lovely looking sandwich that was just lying around – gathering dust. Yes. That could be his alibi.

When he started to arrive to the boy, he waved at him though not really expecting a wave back from the silent boy. The brunet looked downright peeved as he seemed to have forced himself to read his book. Because the blond had perfect vision, he was able to read the title and see the art even at the distance where he was.

He stopped and arched an eyebrow. Why would a high class guy be reading a chick book? Before he pondered that any longer, his legs seemed to start walking on his own. Though he didn't think of it much, he realized that he was feeling…excited.

As though the older was his master in a former life, which brought unwanted images to his mind. He shook his head to get them out. He cleared his throat as he approached him to get his attention. When he received a glare, naturally, he didn't back down. He looked pointedly at the barely touched sandwich and put on a very serious expression on his face.

"Can I have that sandwich?" he asked.

The taller teen narrowed his blue eyes and hissed at the boy. "Don't feel pity for me."

This caught Joey by surprise.

"Pity? I just want that sandwich! Geez, you're so paranoid!" He lied as he looked indignant. Of course, the other boy cocked an eyebrow as he pushed the sandwich towards him.

"Now, go away. You're annoying me."

Joey disregarded the comment and sat himself down to enjoy the feast that was presented to him. He felt that he couldn't leave him. Not because he liked him, far from it. But because… he felt that he had to. Of course Joey always went with his instincts – they had yet to prove him wrong.

"What are you doing? I said go away." And with that the other boy pushed him away, along with the sandwich. Joey stumbled, but he was able to balance himself. He tossed a small glare at the brunet as he decided to just head back with his friends.

**oooo**

When Joey arrived with a now half-eaten sandwich, he was relieved that his friends didn't notice him. Though he felt someone staring at him, so he looked up and saw Yuugi's eyes just… staring.

"H-Hey Yuug! Well, I wasn't able to get some money for lunch so I had to go to that prick to get this sandwich!" he pointed out as he tried to conceal his nervous stuttering.

The petite boy just narrowed his eyes a bit and softly shrugged. "If you wanted some food, Joey, you could've just asked for some from me! I have plenty." Yuugi stated as he smiled at his blond and partially scared friend.

That caught the others' attention. They all started to say that he should've came to them instead of begging to Kaiba as though he were his, well, dog. Joey growled as he ate his food. He wondered why everyone would use that annoying analogy – he's allergic to the creatures!

He took a bite out of the sandwich and tasted the awful taste of mayonnaise. He coughed and gagged, and basically acted dramatic as people from the other tables glanced at him. His friends were laughing as though he played that act for ages even though Yuugi was pretty much the only one who was generally worried about him.

"Are you okay, Joey?" he asked. Joey was instantly better as he gave Yuugi thumbs up. They continued to laugh at the boy as the other brunet that was present smacked Joey against his back. Joey shut his mouth close to prevent anything from flying out, but something did and it landed on the dice-obsessed boy. He screamed and cursed as he tried to get whatever it was that flew out of the blond's mouth and landed to his hair. Everyone laughed at his predicament except for the white haired boy.

They didn't notice, except maybe Yuugi, that their ruckus had also attracted Seto Kaiba's attention as well.

**oooo**

The rest of the lunch hour was quite adventurous. After the black haired teen found whatever it was that touched his "beautiful" hair, he chased the amused blond all over the school. In fact, they had their game of cat and mouse during breaks in between classes. Some teachers, obviously, didn't approve of it and caught the two while Otogi, the boy's name as Joey eventually learned, was about to pounce him at his locker. Once again, he didn't notice a certain teen's stare though it was inconspicuous.

However even after the lecture and the final bell, Otogi decided he hadn't gotten his revenge still. As Joey walked out the building with the brunette, Anzu, exchanging ideas on how to complete a problem in their assignment for the night, he felt another body against his and he fell forward. Anzu had side-stepped in time, so she wouldn't fall on top or below the two. Joey yelled as he fell with Otogi crying out destruction and death as Anzu gave out a giggle. However it was short-lived because she was pushed aside by a sneering and taller person, Seto Kaiba.

"Otogi, I thought you had more control then this." He smirked as he stared at the two who were no longer wrestling.

He glanced up from the confused blond to glare at his rival.

"Shove it, Kaiba." The ebony haired boy quipped as he dusted himself off, forgetting about the bewildered blond that still sat on the ground.

Anzu rushed to help Joey up but he waved her off. He lifted and dusted himself as he turned to the brunet. But before he had even turned around to say anything, he literally felt the brunet walked past him and heard him say

"Mazaki, make sure that midget has a shorter leash on his dog."

Anzu didn't blink twice before she heard a punch land on flesh. Though, she didn't need to think twice but to hunt for Yuugi. She didn't want to seem like a snitch (because she was partially involved in it anyway) but at the same time she didn't want her new friend to get hurt.

The brunet was surprised on how the blond was able to catch him off-guard but he quickly brought it back up when the blond attempted another punch. Joey felt a swift punch to the stomach and froze, for that was his sensitive area.

He grabbed hold of it as he tried to keep himself off the ground.

"You prick," he coughed as he landed on the ground. Seto adjusted his hair, uniform and everything else, and continued his way as though nothing happened. Though, it didn't take long for him to perform a Houdini act. Joey was seeing stars and he was fading out due to lack of nutrients or energy he failed to take when it was offered.

Joey was just not one to let people pity him.

However his vision faded black.

**oooo**

When Joey woke up, he felt comfortable. His nostrils were filled with the scents of vanilla and cinnamon. What an odd combination.

He cracked a brown eye open to find quite a few pairs of eyes staring back at him. He screamed in surprise as he fell back; though he did hit against the wall.

He immediately winced and yelped as he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" asked the concerned boy. Joey nodded.

It was then he realized that he smelt something even more delicious. Food. He glanced over to the nightstand and there was a full plate of food, filled with every piece of the food group – including water.

The others had relaxed and started to talk amongst themselves about various things while Yuugi sat on his bed and gazed at him.

Joey just sat there, dumbly, as he stared at the food that was enticing him.

"Why aren't you eating? Anzu made it." Yuugi stated, with concern dripping from his voice. Joey glanced at the amethyst eyed boy and smiled.

"I ain't hungry right now, Yuug!"

Then they all heard a loud and long growl. Joey cursed his stomach for choosing the right moment to get pity from his friends.

Yuugi's nose scrunched up in irritation but it was quickly gone as it came.

"Come on, Joey. You basically blacked out when that creep punched you!" stated Tristan. Joey glanced at him and gave him a glare.

"Yeah well he shouldn't have been cheap." Joey said as he basically dove for the plate. He grabbed hold of the fork and repeatedly stabbed the mashed potatoes as though they were his object of fury. After he had stabbed it a few times more, he brought the utensil to his mouth and tasted it the amazing substance.

The others eventually sat around him as they told stories of what happened to them when the first encountered Seto Kaiba, but Joey was tired of listening. Despite his own curiosity, why do they want him to be their friend if he treated them this bad. Joey chose not to dwell on it but concentrate on what was…no longer on his plate.

He placed the plate back on the desk since Yuugi was being distracted by a story the white haired teen, err… Ryou, and listened to it.

Then they all laughed, even Joey though he had really no clue what was so funny. His mind, however, was plagued with questions about the teen he encountered earlier. He didn't want the questions to pop up but they did. And how he wished they would just disappear. He was only at school for a couple of days – yet he's obsessing over this guy as though he had a crush on him!

Ew; disturbing images.

He shook his head and hoped no one noticed him, but he heard someone's voice rang out.

"Hey, Yuugi! There's someone here to see you!" it sounded like an old man, but Joey really couldn't tell very well.

"Okay, grandpa!" Yuugi stated as he excused himself to go where the voice rang out from. Joey felt something funny (and it wasn't indigestion), thus decided to go with Yuugi. He followed closely behind the tri-colored teen but he didn't realize. Joey and the others that followed hid behind a wall to see who was there.

The sight made Joey want to beat Seto Kaiba up even more.

**oooooo**

**Ending Notes: **Ahaha, let's see if this seventh chapter can break 'Fan Letters' record for having the most reviews. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry if now all of a sudden they have OOC behavior. I'll try to improve! In any case, please review. As I mentioned before, it encourages me. And please don't kill me that updates will probably get slower (chapter 6-7 are my curse chapters, they put me in a huge writer's block for some reason).


	8. Chapter VIII: Loneliness Unwelcome

**Author's Notes/Disclaimer: **Yuugi-Oh isn't mine. D: It's Mr. Takashi's. In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm sorry I'm so late! Please forgive me! In any case, I hope my loyal readers understand that I still write fan fiction, I just rarely have any time any more. But any time I'm on break, I'll be working on my fanfics. So please be very patient!

**A Boy and His Dog  
**By LilyChan

Chapter Eight  
**Loneliness Unwelcome**

Seto slammed his briefcase on top of a table; he didn't care whether or not he smashed anything any more. If violence wasn't going to get through their thick heads, then perhaps it was time to go back to the old-fashioned method – monetary bribery.

The twerp jumped slightly at the surprise as he held the leash in his hand, dumbly. With one swift move, Seto Kaiba opened the briefcase and there laid 5 to 6 rows of mint money, facing the smaller of the two.

He narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Here; $5,000 in unmarked bills. Now get your dog to leave me alone or I will put a restraining order on you and your gang."

Seto didn't understand why he didn't think of it sooner! A restraining order would surely make the gang leave him alone. Sure there were some circumstances where they couldn't stay away, but outside of class, they came to him on their own accord.

There was a bit of silence between the two before he heard something crash. He looked to the right (as did the midget except left) and saw the blond that he had promptly defeated earlier with the angriest glare the blond could muster. He didn't hesitate in attacking the brunet, with a fist meeting his jaw.

Seto stepped back in shock and the amount of pain he felt. Though, of course, no one was going to get away with hitting Seto Kaiba – and lived to tell the tale. Even though his better judgment told him not to fight in the small shop, his ego was injured. And it needed to be avenged, as cheesy as it sounded. So Seto did the only thing that fueled the level of testosterone in the room.

He punched the blond back.

It wasn't the smartest thing to do, since all he did was get back up and attacked him again. The two exchanged punches, just like they've done for almost a week. Yuugi tried to hold back his friend however, but the boy was full of rage to care who or what was holding him back. He pushed the boy back and he let out a loud yelp. The others ran to the fallen midget's side, wondering what in the world was going on. The brunet with the Mohawk had jumped in to fight the other but Seto could take them both easily. He merely pushed the boy out of the way and the others swarmed to him. Of course he didn't leave him unscathed. He had a black eye and a bloody nose, but his adrenaline still pumped through him thus he struggled in everyone else's grasp.

Seto could really care less however on what he said when he pointed at the struggling teen. However, the boy's friends yelled at him and tried to stop him from fighting. They even had to have the black haired boy to hold Seto back. Seto wanted so much to keep beating the shit out of him, his adrenaline pumping in his body still, thus he struggled out of his captor's grasp.

"Let go, Otogi!" he snarled, struggling to fight the blond further, ignoring the pain that he felt now. This was a very strange feeling he had, although he was no stranger to the adrenaline rush. In all actuality, he felt strangely happy. He was happy that he was fighting. Yeah it wouldn't look on his reputation, but it felt _good_. It could've been because he was tired. It could've been he could take his frustrations out on this nitwit.

Sure, it was fun to shoot down the smaller boy's advances – but he never had seen him riled up like this boy. It was strange. It was interesting. The feeling in the pit of his stomach just made him struggle harder. He could tell, behind those passionate brown eyes, the boy might've felt the same.

Or that's what his loneliness told him.

That voice that haunted him since Gozaburo adopted the two siblings kept voicing over and over in his head. He had to ignore then, he had to ignore it now. He had to struggle and satisfy this feeling that had developed. However, he still felt the fury of wanting to beat the blond down even when the old man voiced his opinion.

"Calm down there, Mr. Kaiba," the old man's voice echoed as he stepped in between the two angry teens. The blond looked as though he calmed down a little bit. Seto wasn't going to let his guard down, even if this old man told him to. However he stopped struggling. He breathed through his nose heavily, letting them know that he still had the energy to take on anyone. Otogi still held on to the brunet in case he would attack anyone else.

The old man was a bit taller then his grandson although he still had the same wide eyes. His hair also pointed everywhere but it was grey as any older person's would be. He wore a handkerchief on top of his head, although not only he couldn't make out the designs, but he really didn't care. The man wore overalls and they were somewhat dirty. Seto merely glared at the old man heavily, quite knowing who he is related to.

"Now, what's going on here," he inquired as he looked at the messed up teenagers, "making quite a ruckus in here?" Seto once again flared up his nostrils, not really wanting to tell the old man what happened. He looked away as the others blamed Seto for all the trouble. Pathetic fools. If they didn't like him, they shouldn't have been bent on becoming friends with him.

He managed to shrug Otogi off and grabbed his suitcase. The bruised blond glared at him as the brunette broad talked and talked. Seto merely glared at him back. It seemed that they had shared something mentally when in fact they just glared at each other.

The tall brunet heard the teenagers laugh at some inside joke and ignored the pained feeling in his gut. The pain he thought he ignored was probably getting to him then.

"Hey! Seto! Where are you going?" asked the tri-colored hair boy. Seto snorted.

"None of your business. Just keep your mangy mutt away from me. I left the leash for your convenience."

And with that he left.

He did hear cursing behind him but he didn't care anymore. He had a brother to get home to. The nervous chauffeur opened the door hastily.

"Mr. K-Kaiba," he acknowledged nervously, somewhat even more frightened since his boss didn't say a word. But he knew better then to question his intentions. He closed the door and headed towards the driver's seat.

He adjusted his mirrors and glanced back at the angry teen who glared at anything that moved outside. He also adjusted his hat.

"Mr. Kaiba? Are you okay? I can contact the physician to take care of your wounds."

This only made him angrier.

"Utter another word and I'll make sure you'll see another job in this town again," he seethed, trying his hardest to control his temper. The chauffeur nervously nodded and continued his duty.

Seto crossed his arms and stared out the windows. How could they laugh after he had just beaten that dog in a test of brute strength? How could they easily joke around when those were the same people who were trying to either sneak inside or gain entry into his luscious mansion – just to see how Mokuba is?

Then again, it was canine-like boy's fault that he attacked him. It was another harmless prank, plus it was bribery. He was only trying to do him a favor, judging from his clothes and smell. He let out a sigh as the blood slowly pumped out into the free world from his bloody nose. His eye stung with pain.

Though, he felt like he deserved it. Maybe he wouldn't ever be able to rid himself of those twerps. Those annoying people who were incessant on becoming his friend. Bah, they only wanted to be his friend only to spend more time with Mokuba and fill his head with unwanted things.

He certainly didn't want his brother to hang around with any of the psychotic white-haired boys, Bakura to be specific, nor the one with the brown Mohawk. That boy was probably of only capable of causing him death – for encouraging not using a helmet! And don't even get him started on Otogi. Who knows what he'll do to the poor boy?

As much as he hated to admit it, he trusted the midget and the other white haired boy, Ryou, was it? Of course, Yuugi was persistent that everyone could get along. Yeah, they could in some children's programs. But this is real life. And in real life not everyone gets along with each other, and _like _it. The broad would probably fill his head with such thoughts as well, and she might set the boy up with the daughter of a business tycoon that could be using Mokuba's emotions and trying to gain Kaiba Corps.

Seto wasn't paranoid, by the way. He just was very precautious of whom his dear brother hung out with. Of course he did a thorough background check of his friends, their parents, and the businesses they worked for.

He smiled cynically to himself. His brother gets to have a wonderful life while he's stuck with the hard work. But that's okay. He doesn't mind. The only pleasure he got was the fact that his brother won't have to worry for his future, especially his financial future.

Mokuba will always be his raison d'être.

His reason to live; reason to be.

Though, he was a bit eager on seeing the blond boy again. His smile grew more cynical.

**oooooo**

**Ending Notes: **Ahaha. Finally I have posted the eighth chapter of this fanfic. Bah, I think Seto went out of character for this one. I don't know. In any case, the last part of it is a tribute to Growing Pain's latest fanfic, Raison D'être which is French for "a reason to be". I recommend that fanfic, and pretty much anything by her. I hope you liked this chapter enough to review it. :)


End file.
